Finding a place of reflection, looking for meaning in the middle of life. Making sense of the past, deciding how to greet the future, all the while discovering more of who we are and who we are meant to be. A living, breathing memoir of sorts.

Friday, August 31, 2018

Finally, Football!

It is that time of year. You know the season. The one where
countless hours are spent watching people throw perfect spirals only to be
intercepted, miraculously caught, and defenses holding back the line of attack
all at the cheers of the crowds. It is the time of year where for twelve hours
most Saturdays my husband watches, not just his favorite teams but any team,
score touchdowns. It is that season where movie watching is sacrificed, and I
have to get used to competing with the other love in my husband’s life-
football.

I decided to kick off this year’s football season with
birthday tickets for the Atlanta Falcons verses the Miami Dolphins preseason
game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Dave grew up being a Dolphins fan,
and I have always watched the Falcons, even back in the Steve Bartkowski days
(he was the Atlanta quarterback in the 70’s and 80’s famous for miraculous Hail
Mary passes).

Why does football season come in with such anticipation? We
have some variety of sports to watch all year long, but the kick off of
football season makes fans elated. Just check your social media feeds any
weekend to verify. Football fans come in many different varieties. There are
the ‘only college fans’ like my uncle Don, a Georgia Tech season ticket holder,
and there are even variations of those fans who only follow ‘their team’ and
manage to not watch for twelve hours straight every Saturday. There are also
those who think of themselves more as ‘purist’ and insist on watching high
school talent compete. Then there are the fans who want to watch ‘the big boys’
or professionals play saying that they take the game to a whole new level. Then
there are ones like my husband who will watch them all until I scream, “I’ve
got to watch something with a plot or I’m gonna die!” That rant usually happens
around December when I have grown tired of playing solitaire or reading by a
crackling fire while he yells instructions to the players and coaches.

For me, the beginning of football season is sort of like
being pregnant with your second child. You have forgotten the bad parts and are
actually looking forward to doing this again. The beginning is also a time
before hopes are dashed- a time when your team could win it all, after all they
have no loses.

Well, I know it was only a pre-season game, but the Falcons
put on a disappointing showing against Dave’s Dolphins. I guess those tickets
really were a birthday present for him. Happy football to all you fans!

About Me

I am currently in my third career as a high school English teacher in the small Georgia town that I grew up in. My first career was in journalism where I eventually started my own direct mail publication writing feature stories about businesses and a personal column, sharing insights into my life. After selling my paper, I embarked on my second career of spiritual counseling in an effort to find help for myself, and then to offer that help to others. I have learned much from life, but probably the most important thing is that people need to know that they are not alone in their struggles, and it is only by us daring to drop the mask of perfection and being real that we find true connection. This is my attempt to share my struggles, my failures, and my occasional triumphs to build a safe place to drop the masks we all wear and dare to be real.